Hocus Pocus
This beloved Halloween comedy follows three bumbling witches resurrected in Salem who are out to steal children's souls before sunrise, played with big campy energy by Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy. The scares are real but largely played for laughs, though a handful of genuinely dark moments, gross-out gags, and running jokes about a teen's virginity put it firmly in older-kid territory.
Most comfortable for kids 8 and up who enjoy spooky Halloween fun and can handle mild peril and some gross imagery without losing sleep.
If you’d rather skip
A young girl is lured to the witches' cottage and her life force is visibly sucked out of her body, causing her to age rapidly; this is the film's darkest moment and sets the threat level for everything that follows.
A teenage boy is zapped with electricity by Winifred and cursed to live as a cat, establishing early that the witches can and do harm children.
A decorative skeleton suddenly lunges toward the camera in a jump-scare moment that is likely to startle younger or more sensitive kids.